Wagon end-gate



- WWWWM (No Medal.)

P. SMITH.

WAGON END GATE No. 286.647. Patented Oct. 16. 1883.

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NITED STATES PATENT Fries.

PHILLIP SMITH, OF PRAIRTE'CITY, lOlVA.

WAGON END-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 286,647, dated October 16, 1883.

Application filed December 16: 1852. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PHILLIP SMITH, of Prairie City, in the county of Jasper and State of Iowa, have invented an Improved End- Gate for l Va-gons of which the following is a specification.

The object of my inventionis to facilitate the attaching and detaching of the end-gate of a wagon-box, and to dispense with theuse'of along rod in drawing and holding the sideboards of the box firmly against the ends of the removable gate. I

It consists in detaehably hanging one end of theend board or gate to one of the sides of the box and attaching asliding plate to the opposite endof the gate in such a manner that it will serve as an extension of the end-gate that can be readily moved by means of a detach- V able screw, to engage a cleat on the sideboard and to draw the side-boards toward each other and against the ends 'of the gate, as hereinafter fully set forth, and as required to maintain tight joints at the ends and bottom edge of the end-gate.

Figure 1 of my accompanying drawings is a rear view of a wagon-box having my end-gate attached. Fig. 2 is a top view of the rear portion of the same box. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views, showing transverse sections of the end-gate abutting against the sides of the box. Jointly considered, these figures clearly illus trate the construction, application, and operation of my complete invention.

Ais the detachable endgatc, B B are the side-boards, and C the bottom or floor of the wagon-box.

d dare cleats of uniform thickness, fixed to one of the side-boards B. d is a corresponding cleat fixed to the end of the opposite side board, and d is a thicker cleat, that has a shoulder, d1 fixed to the same board parallel with and close to the cleat cl.

f represents a bolt,'having a catch or eye, f, fixed to the cleat and sideboard.

g is a metal strap that terminates in a hookshaped end, and that isfixed against the outside of the end-gate A in such a manner and position relative to the eye f of the bolt f that the hook will readily enter the eye and thereby form a hinged connection between the end of the detachable end-gate and the side-board.

the same plate to facilitate adjusting the plate.

02 is a short screw-bolt that extends through A the sideboard B and its cleat d, and has a hook, n, at its end, to engage the eye or catch device Z, that projects outward from the plateh. 6 5

In the practical operation of my improved end-gate thus constructed, I simply pl ace it in position, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig.

2, so as to allow the hook part 9 of the hingeconnection to enter the eyef, and the end of thegate to enter between the cleats d as Iprcss the opposite and free end of the gate past the cleat d and against the shoulder d of the cleat d, to close the end of the box. I then insert the hook it, of the screw-bolt a into the eye or catch Z, and by means of a nut, 1', having a handle, 8,1 draw the bolt outward, and with it the sliding, plate It, in such a manner as to bring the edge of the plate and extension h to pass the rear side of the cleat d and to abut against the side-board B, as required, to pro duce a tight joint, and also in such a manner that the complete end-gate will, by means of its hinged connection with the opposite side of the box, draw the two side-boards together in the manner they have heretofore been drawn together by means of a long rod that had a screwthreaded end. The short screwbolt, sliding plate, and hinge-j oint by which the sideboards are drawn to and held firmly against the ends of the detachable gate also prevent the end-gate from any vertical movement, as

. required to retain it firmly on the floor or bot tom of the wagon-box. To remove the endgate, I simply make reverse movements of the different operative parts. i

I am aware that awagon end-gate having a joint in its middle has had curved hooks at its ends to project through the sides of the wagonbox for the purpose of preventing the end-gate IOO - from rising relative to the bottom and sides of the box. I am also aware that asliding plate has been combined with the end of a wagon end-gate to move horizontally relative to the cleats on the side-board; but my manner of forming a detachable hinged connection between one end of a Wagon end-gate and one side of a Wagon-box and securing its opposite end to the opposite side of the box by means of a sliding plate and a nut and screw in such a manner as to draw the side-boards firmly against the ends of the endgate without a rod or other extraneous device is novel and greatly advantageous.

I I am also aware that a jointed end-gate has had screws at each end to project through the sides of the box in such a manner that both of the sides of the box could be clamped to'the ends of the jointed gate by means of nuts on the screws; but my manner of hinging one end of the gate to one of the sides of the box and securing the other end by means of a sliding section. and screw and nut greatly facilitates attaching and detaching the gate, and is a novel Way of combining an end-gate with a wagonbox,

I claim as my invention A detachable end-gate for wagons, having a hook, g g, and a sliding plate, It 1; 70 Z, in combination with a wagon-box having cleats d d and a catcher eye, f f on one of its sides and cleats d d d and an adjustable screw-bolt, n n, on the opposite side, substantially as shown and described, to operate in the manner set forth, for the purposes specified.

PHILLIP SMITH.

lVitnesses:

G120. H. BAUST, A. G. BUTZ. 

